THE ACADEMIC YEAR 

Aquinas College operates according to a semester calendar with two (2) 16-week semesters, and summer sessions comprising the academic year. 

CLASSIFICATION OF STUDENTS* 

Students are classified as follows: 

Postulant: 0 - 25 credit hours earned 

First-Year Novice: 26 – 56 credit hours earned 

Second-Year Novice: 57 - 87 credit hours earned 

Professed: 88 -120 or more credit hours earned 

Teacher Assistant: 9 months 

Monitored Teacher: 9 months 

*This classification is not the means for determining a student’s academic progress toward completion of degree requirements or graduation date. Students must consult with their academic advisor to understand the number of credit hours required for completion of their specific degree and for scheduling remaining courses. Only after consulting his/her academic advisor will the student have a basis for determining an anticipated graduation date. 

COURSE SCHEDULES 

Prior to the beginning of each semester and summer sessions, a schedule of courses is published on the St. Thomas Aquinas College SIS. St. Thomas Aquinas College reserves the right to alter the published schedule at any time. In addition to the course listings, the schedule contains calendar information, registration procedures, financial information and the schedule for drop/add and withdrawal. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain and be aware of the published schedules and the St. Thomas Aquinas College calendar. 

COURSE LISTINGS/OFFERINGS 

Individual courses listed on course schedules are subject to change or cancellation at any time and may not be offered each semester or every year. Any course may be cancelled from current offerings if the number of registrants does not justify its offering. 

TRANSFER CREDIT 

All transfer credits are granted at the discretion of St. Thomas Aquinas College. St. Thomas Aquinas College reserves the right to reject any course that is contrary to the College’s mission. Transfer credits are not considered in the computation of the St. Thomas Aquinas College GPA. 

Only courses taken at other regionally accredited institutions, in traditional format or by distance learning, for which the student has earned a grade of at least “C-”, will be evaluated for transfer credit. The determination is made based on comparison of course descriptions, outcomes, and/or syllabi from the student’s previous institution. 

Non-accredited Institutions 

Unless approved, transfer of credits is not accepted from institutions lacking regional accreditation, including professional programs and vocational institutions. Transfer of credits from new colleges or universities that are seeking regional accreditation is dependent upon the review of the course syllabus, as determined by the Mistress of Studies, with approval by the Vice President for Academics. 

Syllabus Approval 

Due to the specialized courses or mission-oriented courses, there is no guarantee that every course will be transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas College. If the Mistress of Studies has a question about the transferability of a course, the student should provide a syllabus from the course. The Mistress of Studies will then submit the syllabus to the faculty member who is an expert in the discipline of the course in question. The faculty member will review the syllabus for scope, content, and rigor to 

determine if the course can be used to satisfy the St. Thomas Aquinas College credit requirement. The judgment is then communicated to the Vice President of Academics who will complete the transfer credit process or who will communicate to the student that the course will not transfer. 

Transfer Credit – Extra Institutional Learning 

St. Thomas Aquinas College acknowledges that learning experiences can occur in settings other than traditional college courses and thus may warrant college-level credit. Any acceptable credits gained through the following programs are recorded as transfer credit. Students may earn up to a maximum of 60 credit hours for extra-institutional learning toward the final certification. 

Extra-institutional Examples 

AP (Advanced Placement) – The Office of the Registrar maintains a list of accepted exams and course equivalencies. For credit to be awarded, a minimum-scaled score of 3 is required on the College Entrance Examination Board’s Advanced Placement tests. The amount of credit allotted is based on ACE (American Council on Education) recommendations. The grade is recorded as “CR” on the student’s transcript. 

CLEP (College-Level Examination Program) – The Office of the Registrar maintains a list of accepted exams and course equivalencies. Generally, a minimum score of 50 is required. Credit allotted is based on ACE (American Council on Education) recommendations. The grade is recorded as “CR” on the student’s transcript. 

IB (International Baccalaureate) – St. Thomas Aquinas College recognizes the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum as a strong college preparatory program and encourages students in this program to apply for admission to the College. The Office of the Registrar maintains a list of accepted exams and course equivalencies. Examination scores are required to be submitted directly to the Office of the Registrar; credit will be awarded per examination, subject to the review and approval of the appropriate academic Mistress of Studies. The grade is recorded as “CR” on the student’s transcript. 

Computer Competency Exam – St. Thomas Aquinas College offers a competency examination for students who believe they have the required knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access to meet the objectives of Introduction to Computers. Permission to take the test must be obtained from the Academic Advisor. Students must pass the examination with a score of 70% or higher to be awarded 3 credit hours and a grade of “P”. Students should be aware that credit given by St. Thomas Aquinas College for the Computer Competency Exam might not be transferable to other institutions. 

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